Hotel made of ice and snow catches fire in Canada

People thought the Quebec City’s ice hotel manager was joking when he called for help

This year’s season couldn’t have started better for an ice hotel in Quebec City, Canada. Temperatures fell below the point were the sculptors were able to create and maintain a hotel complex of 45 rooms.

Ice hotel Hotel de Glace in Quebec City catches fire forcing the management to evacuate the premises and close temporarily — serkan senturk / Shutterstock

But the Hotel de Glacemade entirely out of ice and snow encountered a surprising enemy. Early on Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in one of the rooms forcing the hotel management to evacuate their guests and close the complex temporarily.

“Everyone responded the accurate way to make this was an event from which we can learn, and make sure this first time will be the last time in the hotel’s life,” Jacques Desbois, the hotel’s manager, told CBC.

“When I received the phone call they had to repeat twice that there was a fire in the ice hotel,” he continued.

Fortunately, the flames did not spread, and the damage caused was only little. The ice hotel’s structure didn’t suffer, and the smoke quickly escaped.

The cause of the fire is yet to be discovered because it is a rare emergency in such hotels. Management says a candle in one of the rooms may have caused the fire.

“In a room made out of ice and snow there are few clues to look at,” Desbois said.

Three people suffered minor injuries during the incident, and the hotel was closed for two days to allow the crew to cleaning of the premises. It has now reopened.

Desbois said he had to convince people he was not joking when he started making calls to find a cleaning company because “there really was a fire in the igloo.”